Lies and Panic
by JenInTheDark
Summary: President Witter is notified that he was lied to about the 'flu outbreak' in Tervu, Washington. Now, he must try and pick up the pieces while finding those who are behind it. A side-along story to A Cruel, Undead World featuring main characters and OC's. Recommended to be read with referenced story. Rated T for graphic scenes, violence and language.
1. Chapter 1: Revelation

_Lies and Panic_

_A Side-Along Story to A Cruel, Undead World_

~ Chapter 1 ~

Revelation

Tervu Infection Outbreak Active for: 0 Years, 0 Months, 3 Weeks, 1 Day, 20:32:51.

Being the president of the United States of America is a difficult burden to bear; not many can handle being the president. President Graham was a great president, but with bioterrorism erupting and his daughter nearly becoming an infected, he turned down the second term of his presidency. Their latest president, Adam Benford, was the one who took over afterward. From 2008 to 2012, the United States followed him blindly, thinking nothing of the bioterrorism threat that had enveloped Raccoon City. In 2013, he was re-elected and going to make amends, and tell the public what really happened there. In Tall Oaks University however, fate turned differently, as he turned into a flesh-mad zombie.

His vice president took over, his name: Robert Witter, a middle-aged man of thirty-nine.

Robert didn't know if he was ready to take on the sudden responsibility of being the first in command for the states. All he knew was he had to. But he did hope bioterrorism would have ended, the world seeing what horrors it could do.

There are always those horrific monsters who don't care the consequences: he should have known.

When a US official from Washington told him about a bad flu outbreak in one of their cities three weeks ago, and that it had to be quarantined respectively, the president thought nothing of it, too busy taking on the problems of the country as a whole. His thoughts on it were about to change.

He was sitting at his desk, one hand rubbing his temple while the other reading over the seemingly thousands of documents in front of him. There was a knock at the door, and the president sighed deeply and removed his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Come in…" he called, having learnt a while ago that no matter how busy he was, he had to take walk-ins. Two of his security walked through the threshold first, followed by a group of four. Two of the people he instantly recognized, they were both part of the Division of Secret Operations. The female was new to this position, having been promoted after the events of Tall Oaks and China. The male had been part of the group for a while, and was a close friend to the previous president. The president stood out of respect for the two.

"Mr. Kennedy, Miss Harper, it's an honor. I haven't seen either of you since the honorary ceremony." They both nodded.

"Mr. President, we have a couple here, Mr. and Mrs. Combs, who have something important to show you." Leon told him, and the two stepped aside to show a strange couple awkwardly standing there. Witter raised an eyebrow, but waited to hear what they had to say. Clearing his throat, Mr. Combs began by rolling a television set he had behind him over near the desk. While he did this, Mrs. Combs began to speak.

"Mr. President, we come here today to inform you of a catastrophe that has been going on for weeks that no one knows about." Witter was hoping it was just another 'Save-The-Earth' environmentalist speech again, but he knew they would not have sent in D.S.O for that sort of thing. He waited for the husband to place a blank CD in and turn the television on. What he saw was horrifying.

There was a huge twenty-foot steel grate fence along the perimeter of what he could tell was a city. Through the tiny spaces of the fence, arms were sticking out from people trying to get out. The camera moves to show a gate, where a road to the city was, and atop the posts on each side of the gate were two U.S soldiers, shooting at the terrified people below. Some were giving up, running away from the fence.

"This footage was taken hours after this "flu outbreak" was declared on the news in the city of Tervu, Washington. My husband and I could not get inside, not even to reach our daughter on the inside. All phone systems were down, but because of our preparations for such an event we had walkie talkies so we could speak to her. Inside the city is no flu."

The camera changed, and even though the place didn't seem to, there was a drastic difference. Instead of lined up people, desperately trying to leave, there were piles of dead bodies along the fence-line. On the other side, monsters of different sizes, ugliness, and compositions wandered, looking for food. The officers were still there, but instead of shooting them, they stood and let them walk. One infected in particular was of a little girl, no more than six-years-old. She stood, staring at the person behind the camera. Focusing on her, the camera continued to watch as she stood there, not a muscle in her body moving. Suddenly, she sprang toward the gate, leaping with hands and feet. One of the watching guards noticed this, and took out a gun, shooting her. What he saw disgusted everyone in the room, for the zombie wasn't killed, but stunned. After shaking her head, she abandoned her efforts, and began stumbling away. The video was shut off.

"This was taken a week ago. We showed it to the authorities of Washington but they laughed at us, telling us to go turn it in to a horror-movie contest and that we might win third place." The wife and mother seemed angry now as she spoke her words. "Our daughter is stuck in that Hell and we can't even go inside to see if she's still alive, for they still hold the charade of a 'terrible flu'! This is more than the flu! It is a nightmare!"

The president sat in silence, unable to think of what to say. How could he be so blind? Why didn't he know? These questions would forever be unanswered, but now was not the time to mope. With narrowed eyes, he turned to his guards.

"Fetch me the Washington Senator, and bring him to me in handcuffs, along with whomever vouched for him." One of the guards nodded and left. He then looked to Leon. "What do you propose we do, Mr. Kennedy?"

Thinking, Leon looked to Helena, and the man exhaled slowly.

"There is no easy way to deal with this, Mr. President…it would take weeks to go in and wipe clean the infection and reverse what was done to this city."

Witter thought to himself for a moment, then said: "Then we have no choice. We don't have time, I can see one of those monsters escaping any moment, especially after whoever released them catch whiff that we're on their tail. We must exterminate the entire town." He knew this idea would not go well with the Raccoon City survivor. Leon stared at him, shocked, and began moving toward him.

"Wait a second, the last thing we need is another Raccoon City!" Helena unexpectedly stepped forward, placing her hand on Leon's shoulder.

"Leon, no one wants to destroy an entire city, but think about what will happen to the entire state of Washington if we don't act quickly! Tervu is already lost…" as she spoke these words, the husband moved pass her to reach his wife, who was beginning to cry for the loss of her child.

"I can't…" Leon looked away, out the window near the side of the room. After a second or two, he looked back at the president with determined eyes. "The BSAA are equipped to handle this kind of emergency. There are always survivors in this kind of incident, I will bet you my life they are just waiting for rescue. All I'm asking is one week, just one week to sweep the city and find whoever might still be alive." The room went silent as they tensely awaited the answer. Witter sat, pondering and weighing the positives and negatives. Finally, he agreed.

"Fine, one week is all they have. Escort as many people as you can out and then we will begin the bombing process." The couple took a step forward.

"We would like to go with them, we must know if our child is still alive!" the husband pleaded. Witter glanced at them, then nodded.

"Alright, just keep out of the BSAA's way." The two nodded their understanding. The guard still standing motioned for them to leave, and the five people walked out with a new mission. Still sinking in the horrible sights he had seen, the president sat down once more, having stood at some point with all the excitement. He took a deep breath and leaned his head back, closing his eyes. When will this country see enough tragedy?

**A/N: Hello! If you are reading this (not having read the story this is referencing to) and liked it, I suggest your read **_**A Cruel, Undead World**_**, to see what all the commotion is about! This might also answer some of the questions of those who are coming here because of the story. Obviously, the story here won't have very many chapters, and will focus mainly on the events unfolding around Tervu, Washington. Still, this is my piece of work, and I ask that you critique it as you see fit, and let me know of any problems you see with it. Chapter 8 of my other story will be published this Friday as usual. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2: Morals of Insanity

_Lies and Panic_

_A Side-Along Story to A Cruel, Undead World_

~ Chapter 2 ~

Morals of Insanity

Tervu Infection Outbreak Active for: 0 Years, 0 Months, 3 weeks, 4 days, 12:23:15.

President Witter has had a very troubled time the past few days, all because of Tervu. The press has finally gotten word of the event and has been going on about it since. Worried family members outside of the city keep trying to enter the blockade, and causing commotions about how the government wasn't doing anything to help them. They only had three more days to save whoever might be still in that city.

It's now midnight, and he still can't sleep. His wife, son and daughter were taken out of the country, since somehow this entire event was _his_ fault. During these troubling times, his family was the only thing that kept him sane. For their own protection though, they had to leave, and he was left with nothing. In the oval office, he stared off into the distance out the large windows, when a knock was heard on the door.

"Mr. President? We have the Washington Senator in custody." The voice of no one other than Leon Kennedy could be heard from the other side. Anger filled the president, knowing that this senator was the reason for all the disaster in not only the city but the country as well. Turning to face the door, he gave the permission for them to enter. The door opened and Leon and Helena walked in with two special security, Washington Senator Mark Benford in their grasps.

The man looked ill, very ill. The president secretly hoped the man was dying, possibly from guilt of what he had done. They were able to trace the evidence they have so far to him, and possibly a secret agency they aren't aware of yet.

"If you weren't under the protection of the United States, I'd shoot you where you stand." He growled at the man. The balding man looked into the president's eyes, and just when he thought the man might be feeling remorse, he burst out laughing.

"You can't touch me! I'm all you got!" he guffawed. The man was obviously insane.

"On the contrary, when the Supreme Court hear your case and determine you the leader behind this act of treason, they will call upon the death penalty." The president revealed coolly.

Looking at the senator's face—this idea did not sit well with him. He began to shake violently.

"I did nothing wrong!" he shouted.

"We have all the evidence we need to convince them otherwise."

"No!" he shrieked, his voice hitting a pitch not many men can. "We were helping!"

"Helping?" Witter's anger was rising. "You killed a city of thousands!"

"They had to die to save millions!" the president waved his hand, not believing this notion.

"What do you mean, 'save millions'?" Leon asked the crouching man, who with every time he spoke leaned more to the ground.

"A vaccine could be created from a mutated strain of the virus…It could cure all viruses…it would save the world from bioterrorism!" at this point, the sickly man collapsed on to the ground, having near-like seizures as he spoke. "They told me it would work! They told me! They told me!"

"Who told you?" Helena demanded, kneeling on one knee to hear the muttering man.

"Neo-Umbrella! They sent an agent in to collect the mutated virus, and everything would be better! But you're damned BSAA killed her!" the president looked at the two D.S.O agents for clarification.

"We got word that a suspected Neo-Umbrella agent named Marcy Carson was behind this. She was shot and killed after infecting a survivor on site." Leon explained. The senator nodded violently, and then coughed up blood. As he thrashed around and the two special protection agents tried to help him, Leon caught a glimpse of white in his eyes.

"Mr. President we have to leave, now!" Leon shouted, grabbing Helena and pulling her away. Before the special service agents could move, the man's flesh began to boil, and his form turned into a strange acid-like substance that when it touched their feet it melted them instantly. Cries of pain filled the room as they fell over, into more acid. Their backs blistered and the skin bubbled as it started pulling away from the skin. Helena gasped in shock, just barely holding back a shout of panic. No one could help them, for the substance was so acidic that after thirty seconds of laying on their back, it had reached their respiratory system and melted their insides. A painful death that to them probably didn't end quickly enough.

The substance sprung up to form a some-what solid, naked figure; which launched at them. Leon and Helena took out their guns and began to shoot at it, but the bullets just went through the other side. Dodging the extended acid, the president was able to crawl under his desk and grab a gun he kept there for safety. Joining in the fire fight, they shot at it, not giving up. Leon noticed a strange red, beating heart, barely visible inside what would be its neck. Pointing it out to the others, they focused their fire on that, and it burst like a child jumping on a party balloon. The creature gave out a long, anguished cry before the substance shriveled away to a mess of ash on the floor.

The president panted as he tried to take in what just happened. "How…the hell…"

"They must have infected him before we got him." Leon assumed, standing up straight and walking to the ashes. In the flesh-colored dust was a strange looking chip. Ignoring his disgust, he picked it up, and placed it inside the USB on his phone. Holographic images popped to life in front of them, and revealed strange, mutated creatures, much like what they just saw. A man's, nearly familiar voice also began.

"We are almost there…creating the ultimate virus…all we need is the last two mutated strains and I will be God…send the woman in to collect the HL strain. If you must, convince her it is for a cure. Then bring me the Washington senator…"

"That voice…" Helena murmured, but before she could think more on it, the president spoke.

"Find the secret facility of Neo-Umbrella and bring them to justice. I will be DAMNED if I let this happen again!"


	3. Chapter 3: 10 Survivors

_Lies and Panic_

_A Side-Along Story to A Cruel, Undead World_

~ Chapter 3 ~

Ten Survivors

Tervu Infection Outbreak Active for: 0 Years, 1 Month, 0 Weeks, 1 Day, 19:00:00.

The time has come for the President to destroy the remains of Tervu, Washington. It is seven in the morning, and he hadn't slept in the last 24-hours. He was nervous.

A little less than a week ago, they saved the first two survivors. He was glad to hear that one of them was the daughter of the two parents who he met earlier. The other, a foster child. Sadness overcame Witter when he had the foster boy recount what had happened. It turned out his foster parents betrayed him and his older brother, and then later his brother was bitten. Though, he knew things would look up for the young man as he gave personal permission for the Combs family to adopt the boy as their own.

Four days ago he got word that more people had been found, one of which was an ex-BSAA member and another a pregnant woman. By this time, he was forced to tell the escapees that they had to stay and be checked head to toe for any signs of the infection. As the tests were done, it showed one girl was infected, but like the times before had adapted for her benefit. The president decided not to condemn her for this.

Finally, he also got word minutes ago that someone had found a walkie talkie, and called in rescue. About a minute before the destruction would begin, he was told that three people escaped successfully.

Ten people.

Only ten had survived out of a city that hosted thousands.

The quest to find Neo-Umbrella has begun, for they are the ones behind this. He didn't care who, he didn't care why-he wanted those people to pay for what they did.

With a heavy heart, President Witter looked down at that God forsaken red button that was placed on his desk this morning. This button would destroy up to the very boundaries of the deceased city.

Knowing it was necessary, the president gave one final sigh and prayer for everyone this country had lost, and pushed the button—sending a small missile to Tervu.


	4. Epilogue: Those Who Hurt Us

_Lies and Panic_

_A Side-Along Story to A Cruel, Undead World_

Epilogue

Those Who Hurt Us

Time after the Tervu infection outbreak: 0 Years, 1 Month, 0 Days, 10:05 A.M.

President Witter with his lovely, slightly younger wife were still inside the White House. There, she straightened the withering man up. If you asked her if she liked her man being the president, she would say no. This country isn't the easiest to run, and she knew it was quickly draining her beloved.

Close by, their fifteen year old son and thirteen year old daughter talked to each other civilly. This was a rare sight for the president, but he knew the children weren't idiots (rather, they were very intelligent). They knew what happened and how many lives were lost. You always see those videos and pictures making fun of the teenage body for its indifference to life. Well, here's an example to prove them wrong.

While in France (having to hide from angry Americans), the daughter slept little and cried a lot over the thoughts of how those poor people passed, and the son became quiet and was even kinder to others.

Everyone was affected by this.

"What do you plan to say up there?" Mrs. Witter asked him quietly, as she tugged a little at his suit. He didn't answer right away, and only when she met his deep blue eyes with her sharp green ones did he say.

"I haven't come up with it in writing. I want them to know that what I have to say was no rehearsed. True, I've thought long and hard what I want to say. But not how I'm going to make them feel like I'm trying to win a Nobel peace prize, but about how I can make them feel a little bit better." His sad eyes dropped to look at the floor. Knowing his pain, his wife pulled him in close and embraced him tightly.

As they hugged, Leon S. Kennedy walked in from outside. "Mr. President, we're ready for the speech."

Witter straightened up and kissed his wife on the forehead affectionately, then when he passed his children, gave them both a hug as well. He walked away with Leon, patting him on the shoulder solemnly. The president's family waited a moment, then followed outside, taking their seats nearest the podium on the side with the celebrated agents who helped in the search.

Everyone waited in silence for Witter to speak. He made a noise in his throat, then started his speech.

"A month ago today, the United States was injured. We were lied to about a terrible event that was happening to one of our great cities, and in its time of need we failed it. I failed it. Many were lost, in the worst way imaginable. None of us would want to see or know that a loved one was taken in such a manner. I wish with all my might, that I could take this pain and suffering, and take it all for myself to spare our country.

But I can't. America; we were betrayed by an association that has named itself Neo-Umbrella. They are the reason why we suffer, and the reason why the city of Tervu is now in ruins. I swear on my life that we will not let them get away with this. We will find them. We will bring them to justice. Now, all we can do is rebuild, and try to recover what we had lost. The scars will heal. The pain will ease. All we can do now is be thankful that those who were hurt so badly, have found peace. Thank you."

While waiting for some sort of response, the president worried that they were angered instead of soothed by the speech. Then, the clapping started, first only a few people then the entire crowd.

He took a deep, relieving breath.

That night, he called a meeting. The meeting was to be utmost importance, and secretive—only those given assignments will be there.

At the meeting was of course the President, and joining him were: Leon and Helena, Chris Redfield from the BSAA and his second-in-command, Alek Burrell; even new agent of D.S.O, Sherry Birkin was summoned for this meeting.

"We know that Neo-Umbrella is behind the attack on Tervu, but we don't know where they are or what they plan to do next." He looked at the BSAA agents. "Chris, I need you and your team to be on the lookout—every hint, every whisper on the wind that you hear, follow it and investigate. I want the BSAA to be like hound dogs for information on future bioterrorist attacks."

Next, he turned to Leon and Helena. "I want you two personally assigned to find the headquarters of Neo-Umbrella. You will be undercover, of course, and tell no one of your mission. The government will fund for whatever you need to find it; plane tickets, hotels, everything."

When the missions were given to the four, they were dismissed, leaving Sherry with the president. He looked at her gravely.

"We don't know what their next move is, but with the little evidence we have, it has something to do with virus strains. I want you to return to Edonia and find the man you worked with before, and bring him back with you. His very life could be in danger, along with yours."

"Jake?" she whispered. Witter nodded.

"You will have a team to escort you. I don't care if you have to drag him with his heels dug in the ground, bring him back here. The last thing we need is someone getting ahold of the C-Virus and/or T-Virus. All information regarding the viruses are at the Pentagon, where no one can get to it. But you two are still easy-access sources we can't risk. Do you understand?" he asked. She bowed her head solemnly, knowing after she got Jake, she would be stuck in a room in a government building again—like how she spent the most part of her childhood. Feeling her melancholy, the president stood from his chair and walked to her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Hopefully, Mr. Kennedy and Ms. Harper will find the headquarters soon, and all of this will be over." She sighed and agreed, then thanked the president and left the round office.

With his new plan in motion, the president walked back around his desk and fell into his chair, exhausted. Why is this country always in danger? That question will never be fully answered. With a long breath, the president closed his eyes, and the first time in a while—fell into a deep slumber.


End file.
